|
SCUTTLEBUTT 2186 - September 22, 2006Scuttlebutt is a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions,features and dock talk, with a North American focus. Scuttlebutt is distributed each weekday, with America’s Cup coverage in Scuttlebutt brought to you by UBS (http://www.ubs.com/sailing). IT WAS TEN YEARS AGO . . . In September 1996 a group of top-flight sailors traveled from around the world to Lake Garda for a trial of many different classes, to see which would go forward as the new twin-trapeze skiff for the Olympics in Sydney 2000. There were a number of new designs to consider, including the Laser 5000 and the Nautivela Jet, as well as a few older classes that had been revamped to do battle in the twin-trapeze arena, boats such as a Flying Dutchman modified with bowsprit, asymmetric spinnaker and an extra set of trapezes. However, after an intensive week of trialing these various designs, the 49er proved to be the clear favorite with the sailors, and by November 1996 it had been ratified as the new Olympic skiff. The task now was to meet the immediate global demand for so many 49ers. As with any Olympic class, the busiest market would be Europe and the job of churning out consistent, reliable 49ers in Europe would go to Ovington Boats, based in Tynemouth in the north-east of England. The first year of production was manic, with an eight-month waiting list developing within a matter of days of the 49er’s Olympic future being confirmed at the ISAF Annual Conference in November 1996. Ovington and the other builders around the world worked at full capacity for the first year, and for the class’s first international regatta - the European Championships held in Weymouth in September 1997 - there were already 80 boats competing. -- Andy Rice ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS Tim Hogan has been named as US Sailing’s Sailor of the Week -- a well deserved honor. As a long time president of CISA, Tim has given a 'ton' to our sport. These days, as president of the Interscholastic Sailing Association, young sailors continue to keep him really busy. A father of four kids who sailed in high school, Tim knows a thing or two about the scene. During his own high school days, sailing hadn't really taken off yet as a high school sport, but that didn't stop Tim: he loved to sail and still remembers competing in the U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship (the "Sears") back in 1966. "I'll never forget that event," he says. "We finished second!" Tim later went on to become College Sailor of the Year at USC and is still an avid sailor today. He recently bought a Santa Cruz 70 with his brother and plans to sail the next TransPac. -- http://www.ussailing.org/news/Sailor_of_the_week/index.asp CALENDAR OF MAJOR EVENTS (Sponsored by West Marine) Events listed at http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/calendar FOR THE RECORD "I remain faithful to my philosophy.” said Francis Joyon, when revealing details of his new boat “so IDEC is a simple boat." The first man to sail round the world solo, in under 80 days (72 days and 22 hours), wants reliability above all, as confirmed by Nigel Irens and Benoît Cabaret, the designers of the new trimaran. "Francis is not a man of gadgets, he wants a boat that suits his image, i.e. solid, powerful and without frills. The final form of IDEC fills these criteria." With its 29.70 (97 feet) metre central hull, 24.50 metre floaters and a width of 16.50 metres (54 feet), the boat represents, for Francis "the best compromise between the search for power and my capacity to manage what I will have under my hand... and I am certain, right now, that this IDEC will require more vigilance and anticipation that its predecessor! As a balance though, the fact that we have been able to lengthen the stem of central hull and add more volume means that I will be able to face the long Southern Ocean surfings – the main black spot - with relative serenity!” In this same vein, the sail plan of the trimaran has been moved back, so as to obtain more lift at the stem. In terms of sail area, the new boat will carry about 10% more than the old IDEC, but the biggest change is in the distribution, since this boat will be able to carry larger headsails. In addition to this increase in power, there will be a big gain in weight, for the new IDEC will weigh in at about 11 tons, ready to go round the world, whereas the old boat weighed 16 tons, so as Francis says “There will be a major jump in performance.” The biggest gain, though, could come from the ergonomics and deck layout, because this boat has been designed for single handing, which could certainly not be said about the old IDEC. IDEC will be launched next June and after a summer period of development, and Francis intends to set off round the world at the end of autumn, with the aim of regaining the solo record that was taken from him, last year, Ellen MacArthur. -- Marian Martin, BYM News, full story: http://www.bymnews.com/new/content/view/35487/50/ TRYING TO FIND THE PERFECT BOAT? The fast, ocean-racing sportboat, or the easy to sail boat with a useful interior? Now you can have both, and more, in one boat. Introducing the Synergy 350 RL. Featuring breathtaking speed to keep up with the bleach bottle buoy racers, but with a stylish and comfortable interior. High performance, without the need for a large crew to balance overpowered sailplans. All pre-preg construction, real toilet, berths, easy to sail, yet fast and ocean race capable. The perfect boat for people who love the pure joy of sailing. Come see the 350 RL at the Annapolis sailboat show. http://www.synergyachts.com SAILING SHORTS * The 2006 Etchells North American Championship, hosted by the New Bedford YC and the Etchells Buzzards Bay Fleet 19, began on a crystal clear day with uncharacteristically calm seas, strong currents and brisk but shifting winds that dropped of noticeably in the late afternoon. The leaders after three races - 49 boats: 1. Hank Lammens, 8pts; 2. Jud Smith, 16pts; 3. Gary Gilbert, 19pts; 4. Bill Mauk 22pts; 5. Marvin Beckmann, 23pts. -- http://www.etchellsnewbedford.com/results/naresults.htm * The Agendas, Supporting Papers and Submissions which will be discussed at the 2006 ISAF Annual Conference, taking place from 2-12 November in Helsinki, Finland, have now been published on the ISAF Meetings microsite. A total of well over 100 Submissions have been received from ISAF Member National Authorities (MNA), ISAF Classes, Committee Chairmen and the Executive Committee covering many aspects of the sport. These will be debated alongside the other items addressed on each Committee’s Agenda at the meetings in November. The papers can be downloaded individually or as a bulk download, by a zip file download. - http://www.sailing.org/meetings. * Hobie Cat Company - Australasia has negotiated a container for the Australian Hobie Tigers sailors to participate at the Hobie Tiger Worlds 2008 in South Africa. This container is filling up fast from the Aussie Tiger sailors wanting to race in South Africa. A second container may become available however sailors are going to have commit soon to reserve their spot. -- http://www.hobieclass.com * Groundbreaking will take place next week for a new 43,000-sq/ft facility Goetz Custom Boats located at the north end of Broad Common Rd in Bristol, RI just a ½-mile from their existing location. New features include a large 6-axis CNC milling center with a working envelope of 75’ x 25’ x 12’ to accompany our smaller CNC operations, all new computer controlled ovens & spray booths plus several highly advanced laser projection centers to facilitate accurate laminations and assembly of products. -- http://www.goetzboats.com * In response to the recent letters in Scuttlebutt discussing the starting system now used, and reminiscing about the previous system, Scuttlebutt polled its readers on which starting system they preferred. For the results of the poll, and to view the comments submitted, go to http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/polls/06/0918 * Long postponements and light air set the theme for the New England Laser Masters Championship at Third Beach, Newport. Nonetheless, seven races were competed for the 54-boat fleet with the following results (one discard): 1. Peter Seidenberg, (GGM) 23pts; 2. Scott Ferguson, (M) 30pts; 3. Ned Jones, (A) 36pts; 4. PJ Schaffer, (A) 57; 5. Mark Bear, (M) 62pts. * For the first time this week, the TP52s had good breeze and John Cook’s Cristabella won the invigorating 42 mile coastal race around the island of Formentera at the Breitling MedCup TP52 circuit’s Trofeo Balearia Ibiza y Formentera. Peter de Ridder’s Mutua Madrilena Mean Machine team took second place which gives them a seven point lead in the regatta. Overall standings after four races: 1. Mutua Madrilena Mean Machine 13pts, 2. Siemens (Eamon Conneely/Ian Walker) 20pts, 3. Caixa Galicia (Vicente Tirado/Roberto Bermudez) 22pts, 4. Cristabella 23pts, 5. Orlanda (Alessandro Pirera/Francesco Bruni) 28pts. -- http://www.medcup.org/ * The Veles e Vents building, the striking focal point of the Port America’s Cup, has been awarded ‘Overall Winner’ of the 2006 LEAF awards. Open to all companies, technologies and individuals that have made an outstanding contribution to the world of architectural design and build, the LEAF Awards honour the players, products and designs that set benchmark standards within the build and design marketplace. There are eight categories in total, along with an overall winner which the judges feel has made the most outstanding contribution to the industry as a whole. -- http://tinyurl.com/r58kr * A Rhode Island company has built a sailboat specifically designed to fit inside a standard 40-foot shipping container. InBox, the Container Yachts prototype Far Harbour 39, launched Aug. 29 at Schooner Creek Boat Works in Portland, Ore., and made its public debut at the Newport Yacht Show in September. With a narrow beam to fit in the 8-foot-wide container, the boat has a hull speed of 8 knots and cruising speed of 7.2 knots. Cruising-speed range is 600 miles under power. The sail-away price is $225,000, with sails and electronics. -- http://www.containeryachts.com * Force10 Marketing, a sports marketing agency with an expertise in sailing, has relocated its headquarters to the United Kingdom. Founded in the U.S. in 2003 by Scott MacLeod, former Senior Vice President of Octagon Worldwide, Force10 Marketing advises companies including UBS and BMW on their sailing strategies and investments. They manage and market the World Match Racing Tour, the world’s leading professional sailing series, and the Superyacht Cup in Palma, Mallorca. Force10 offers a number of services including strategic communications consulting, event management, public relations, sponsorship sales and marketing, and television production and distribution. -- http://www.f10marketing.com * A Team Racing Summit will take place at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, MD, 7-8 October. The U.S. Team Racing Committee will conduct a team racing demonstration that will include a classroom presentation on introduction to team racing and strategy followed by an on the water mini regatta demonstration led by World Champion Silver Panda Team Captain, Pete Lesvesque. The goal of the training and demonstration is to help more sailors experience the excitement of team racing. We hope that sailors will go home with a desire to start team racing at their local clubs. -- http://sailingeducation.com/tools.html * When Scuttlebutt first launched its website in 2003, we would Google ourselves to see how we were getting ranked by the search engine. Back then, one website that would regularly beat us belonged to Scuttlebutt Brewing Company in Everett, Washington. We still haven’t seen any of the Scuttlebutt beer, so if anyone comes across it and wants to make a bootleg trip to San Diego, please contact us. We know it’s out there, thanks to this image from Robbie Dean: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/photos/06/beer.jpg WHAT MAKES OCKAM BETTER? Almost 30 years of research utilizing a scientific approach to perfect instrument accuracy. Ockam allows for the calibration of sensor inputs to ensure more reliable and accurate data. The proven high-speed Pentium-powered Tryad CPU processes information in 3D utilizing pitch and roll. The new Matryx II graphical display provides a simple, clear way to view information, strip-chart data, and control the system. Ockam Instruments’ superior processing and graphical display technology provide a distinct competitive advantage. We have instrument solutions for everyone. For more information, contact mailto:sales@ockam.com Curmudgeon’s Comment: Check out Ockam’s display in the Pyacht.com booth at the US Boat Show in Annapolis, MD on October 5-9. LETTERS TO THE CURMUDGEON Letters selected for publication must include the writer's name, and may be edited for clarity or space (letters shall be no longer than 250 words). You only get one letter per subject, so give it your best shot, don't whine if others disagree, and save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. As an alternative, there are no word or frequency limits on comments sent to the Scuttlebutt Forums. -- Scuttlebutt Letters: editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com -- Scuttlebutt Forums: http://sailingscuttlebutt.com/forum * From Mike Kennedy: Great video of the Vineyard Race. I have to say it looks a lot like my video of the 1981 Transpac, except we were in bathing trunks and we had a 1.5 chute up. * From Bill Doyle (In reply to Peter Houston's proposed remedy for starboard stickups and other ideas such as windward gates to alleviate big fleet problems at windward marks): In several different classes and over 20 years of racing, I've experienced that no matter what you set up for a course or mark rounding, any big fleet will line up like a train to get around the mark, and can do so without incident. The problems generally only occur simply because of the minority of sailors who either ignore, have no knowledge of, or "push their luck" with the rules and have little remorse or sportsmanship to make up for it. In our local Shields fleet, we typically race with 25+ boats on the line and can experience multiple "lapses" on a regular basis as the norm. Last night alone 1) Our boat did an emergency dial-up to avoid T-boning a port tacker diving in front of us at the start, only to receive a one-finger salute as a thank-you for not sinking them and 2) Had, on both windward mark roundings, boats tack inside us within the zone, all the while yelling atop the crashing sounds, as if to intimidate or "will" the right of way boat out of the way. On only one occasion was an apology uttered and turns done. I suspect many others on our course, or wherever your local "big" fleet is racing, experience the same, and, unfortunately all to common, occurrences. Fact is, no level of course configurations or rules modifications can alleviate bad behavior and sportsmanship. * From Chris Ericksen: I love it when folks think "outside the box," as Peter Huston did in 'Butt 2184 on the subject of weather marks. While I am a fan of leeward gates, even they are not a panacea. When planning for the recently completed I-14 Worlds at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, California, we got the recommendation that we not use leeward gates: They were tried a few years ago and it was found that two Fourteens capsized in the gate pretty definitively plugged it up--and skiffs are not too good at queuing up while waiting for the obstruction to be cleared. Think of an automobile pileup in a tunnel and you get the idea. In the 1993 Tornado Worlds at ABYC we used windward gates at the request of the class association. They scared the bejeebers out of the everybody: imagine two Tornados crossing in the gate on opposite tacks at Mach Two. And I once heard of a 470 that went through the windward gate on port tack, rounded the right-hand gate mark, bore away and set a kite--and knocked the crew of an approaching starboard-tack 470 right off the wire. It may be that "the worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work" is not true when talking about windward gates. Port roundings? Sounds promising. Windward gates? Maybe not for everyone. But keep thinking outside the box, Peter--and everyone else, too. * From J. D. Stone: In response to Peter Huston’s starboard rounding suggestion – I’m thinking of fifteen boats on the port tack lay line nose to bow and a stb tacker on the stb tack lay line trying to make the mark, just outside of the two boat circle. The stb tacker has to be let in, but quickly establish a proper course to the weather mark. Inside the two boat length – again the stb tacker gets in. Correct? I’m not sure this will solve the problem complained of, because the port tack boats will still not have rights to those boats approaching on starboard. The rules don’t seem to directly address a gated situation especially at the weather mark. I’ve seen boats at a leeward gate start to go to the left gate (on port) then jibe at the last second and go to the right (stb) forcing all boats it has room on, to also gybe. With a standard port side rounding at the weather mark, with lots of starboard boats, they tend to go higher and higher on the final approach, trying to get clean air - so when that happens, assuming no left wind shift, it is possible for the port tackers to slide in and get a decent rounding, but not always. If racing was easy, everyone would be doing it. * From Don Goyette: As a mark-setter for 20 - 30 race days a year, I like the starboard rounding solution to the stack-up problem. Setting leeward gates is difficult enough without having to deal with weather gates too, and the starboard rounding solves the problem very simply. Or does it? It puts the onus on the boats on the port lay line to give way to the boats coming in on starboard, forcing them to let the starboard boats into the line. Does that solve one problem by creating another? * From George Morris: Where I sail the three minute sequence is being used more and more for dinghy events. In multiple class starts - typically five - you can still have to wait fifteen minutes for your start and between races that can easily stretch to forty five minutes if one class is slow to finish and the RO then resets the course. Simple mats will indicate how this would stretch with a six minute sequence. * From John Schalka: Mike Leigh who just finished in forth place at the Laser Worlds is a product of the junior program at Royal Vancouver Yacht Club where he consistently sets and example of hard work and sportsmanship that is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. One of his early coaches, Tine Moberg, tells a story about making him take break after something like 200 sailing days in a row. CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat are really good friends. Scuttlebutt provided by Synergy Yachts and Ockam Instruments. America’s Cup coverage is brought to you by UBS. |
